Road vehicle benches for straightening indentations in vehicle bodies

ABSTRACT

In a thrust member for use on road vehicle benches for straightening indentations in vehicle bodies, comprising an Lshaped beam having an upright portion and a base portion extending transversely of the upright portion, the base portion being applied to the vehicle bench while the upright portion carries means such as a pneumatic ram for exerting a pulling or pushing stress on the vehicle body to straighten the indentations therein, the improvement comprising means for detachably securing said base portion to said upright portion, means to ensure firm engagement of said base portion with said vehicle supporting bench, and a bend in said base portion to allow it to pass either above or below a longitudinal or transverse beam of said vehicle supporting bench when the free end of the base portion is brought into engagement with another longitudinal or transverse beam of said vehicle supporting bench, which is spaced from and extends parallel to said first longitudinal or transverse beam.

United States Patent 1 Lunardini [54] ROAD VEHICLE BENCHES FOR STRAIGHTENING INDENTATIONS IN VEHICLE BODIES [76] Inventor: Alipio Lunardini, piazza Betti 46,

Marina di Massa, Massa Carrara, Italy FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 478,682 11/1969 Switzerland ..72/705 [451 May 1, 1973 1,011,759 12/1965 GreatBritain ..72/705 38,635 7/1965 Germany ..72/705 Primary Examiner-Charles W. Lanham Assistant Examiner-E. M. Combs Attorney-Ernest A. Greenside 5 7] ABSTRACT In a thrust member for use on road vehicle benches for straightening indentations in vehicle bodies, comprising an L-shaped beam having an upright portion and a base portion extending transversely of the upright portion, the base portion being applied to the vehicle bench while the upright portion carries means such as a pneumatic ram for exerting a pulling or pushing stress on the vehicle body to straighten the indentations therein, the improvement comprising means for detachably securing said base portion to said upright portion, means to ensure firm engagement of said base portion with said vehicle supporting bench, and a bend in said base portion to allow it to pass either above or below a longitudinal or transverse beam of said vehicle supporting bench when the free end of the base portion is brought into engagement with another longitudinal or transverse beam of said vehicle supporting bench, which is spaced from and extends parallel to said first longitudinal or transverse beam.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures ROAD VEHICLE BENCHES FOR STRAIGHTENING INDENTATIONS IN VEHICLE BODIES This invention relates to improvements in or relating to road vehicle benches and more particularly a thrust member for straightening indentations in vehicle bodies of the type described in Italian Pat. No. 830,888 of the present Applicant, Italian Pat. No. 830,888 being a addition to Italian Pat. No. 807,351 which describes a road vehicle bench while Italian Pat. No. 830,888 describes a thrust member to be used on the road vehicle bench of Italian Pat. No. 807,351 for straightening indentations in vehicle bodies. Italian Pat. No. 830,888 describes an auxiliary fixture for a vehicle supporting bench, comprising a generally L-shaped beam having an upright portion and a base portion extending transversely thereof, the upright portion carrying at least one pneumatic ram or the like and the base portion being provided with means engaging the frame of the vehicle bench in such a manner as to transmit to the frame the pulling and pushing forces produced in use by the ram.

In this construction the upright portion of the L- shaped beam, which carries the ram for straightening indentations in the body of the vehicle, is formed integrally with the horizontally extending base portion which is brought into engagement with the frame of the vehicle bench on which the damaged vehicle body is secured.

This construction has the disadvantage that the L- shaped beam rests on top of one of the longitudinal beams of the vehicle bench frame and thus is difficult to mount and remove or shift as usually there is very little space available above the frame, most of the space being occupied by the vehicle to be repaired.

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate this disadvantage. This is achieved according to the present invention by providing an L-shaped beam made of two separate parts, namely an upright portion and a base portion extending transversely thereof, the two portions being arranged to be connected or coupled together at one of their ends in two antisymmetrical positions.

These two antisymmetrical positions correspond to two different configurations or manners of mounting of the L-shaped beam. The first manner of mounting corresponds to the manner in which the L-shaped beam in the above-mentioned known construction is mounted. In this manner of mounting the free end of the transversely extending horizontal base portion of the L-shaped beam engages the inside of one of the longitudinal beams of the vehicle bench, said base portion passing upwardly over the opposite one of the longitudinal beams of the vehicle bench. In the second manner of mounting the base portion of the L-shaped beam likewise engages with its free end the inside of one of the longitudinal beams of the vehicle bench, but said base portion passes below the opposite one of the longitudinal beams ofthe vehicle bench.

The L-shaped connection between the upright portion and the horizontally extending base portion, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, is obtained by means of a pair of U-bolts receiving one end of the horizontally extending base portion and having threaded ends to each of which a nut is secured after they have passed through associated holes provided in a horizontal plate firmly secured to the lower end or base of the upright portion of the L-shaped beam.

The horizontally extending base portion of the L- shaped beam is further advantageously provided at its free end with a pair of coupling flanges to enable said base portion to be mounted on a longitudinal or transverse beam of the frame of the vehicle bench. Another coupling flange may be provided on said horizontally extending base portion intermediately of its length to engage the respective opposite one of the longitudinal or transverse beams of the vehicle bench frame.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: 7

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective viewshowing the application of an L-shaped beam according to the invention to a road vehicle bench as disclosed in Italian Pat. No. 807,351, shown in dash-and-dot lines, the horizontally extending base portion of the L-shaped beam being shown in the two aforementioned positions transversely of the longitudinal beams of the vehicle bench frame, said base portion being shown in the connected as well as the separate condition with the U- bolts detached, and

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the horizontally extending base portion of the L-shaped beam without the upright portion, said base portion being shown in its two different positions and being applied to a transverse beam of the vehicle bench frame in the longitudinal direction ofthe latter.

FIG. 1 shows a road vehicle supporting frame formed of longitudinal beams 2 and transverse beams 3 connecting the longitudinal beams 2 therebetween, this frame being shown in dash-and dot lines and corresponding to the one described and shown in Italian Pat. No. 807,351. The vehicle to be repaired, i.e., the body of which is to be straightened, will be supported on this frame, such vehicle not being shown in the drawing. 1

The thrust member according to the invention in the form of an L-shaped beam for exerting a pulling or pushing stress on the damaged vehicle body for straightening indentations therein is composed of two parts: an upright portion 33 and a horizontal base portion 30 extending transversely of the upright portion 33. A pair of coupling flanges 31 is provided at the free end of the base portion 30 to ensure firm engagement with on of the longitudinal beams 2 of the vehicle supporting frame, as shown in FIG. 1, or with one of the transverse beams 3 of the vehicle supporting frame, as shown in FIG. 2. A further coupling flange 32 is provided intermediately of the length of the base portion 30 and has a tongue spaced from and extending generally parallel to the adjacent wall of the base portion 30 to engage behind a flange on the other longitu dinal beam 2 or another neighboring transverse beam 3 of the vehicle supporting frame. A horizontal plate 34 and two parallel spaced triangular reinforcing plates 35 are welded to the lower end or base of the upright portion 33, the triangular plates 35 being mounted in the corner formed between the horizontal plate 34 and the adjacent wall of the upright portion 33.

Before the thrust member can be used for straightening indentations in vehicle bodies, one end of the base portion 30 is connected at right angles to the upright portion 33 by means of a pair of U-bolts 36 placed from below over the base portion 30 and inserted in holes provided in the horizontal plate 34 on the upright portion 33 of the thrust member. The U-bol ts 36 have threaded ends emerging upwardly from the horizontal plate 34 after the U-bolts have passed through the holes in the horizontal plate 34 and nuts 37 are screwed down on the threaded ends of the U-bolts 36 to tighten the horizontal plate 34 on the base portion 30 and thus firmly secure the upright portion 33 to the base portion 30.

The base portion 30 is bent intermediately along its length so as to form two horizontal planes located at different vertical levels when the base portion 30 is placed in a horizontal position. The bend or offset of the base portion 30 is such that when the base portion 30 is in its operative position adjacent the vehicle supporting frame and the free end of the base portion 30 is brought into engagement with a longitudinal beam 2 or transverse beam 3 of the vehicle supporting frame, the other end of the base portion 30 will pass just above or below the opposite one of said longitudinal or transverse beams and will normally engage the latter. In FIG. 1 the position in which the base portion 30 of the thrust member passes above the longitudinal beam 2 of the vehicle supporting frame is indicated by a; b indicates the position in which the base portion 30 of the thrust member passes below the longitudinal beam 2 of the vehicle supporting frame.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise embodiment and that various changes and modifications may be effectes therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A thrust member for use on a road vehicle bench frame for performing body work on a vehicle, comprising an L-shaped beam of two separate parts, one con stituting an upright section and the other an elongate base section adapted when connected therewith to extend transversely therefrom, said base section being adapted for removable connection to a supporting frame for the vehicle and having end portions lying within vertically offset horizontal planes, first means at an end of at least one of the end portions of the base section for selectively connecting said one end portion to said frame with said vertically offset portions in a first position wherein said one of said end portions is at a higher vertical level than the other end portion, or in a second position wherein said other end portion is at a higher vertical level than said one of said end portions, either position being determined by rotating said base section in increments of about its longitudinal axis, and second means for connecting said upright section in vertical upstanding position in relation to said base section with the latter connected to said frame in said first or second positions thereof, said first means comprising a pair of flanges formed as extensions of said base section in said first and second positions thereof to permit engagement of said base section with beam means of a vehicle supporting frame in the first and second positions of said beam section.

2. A thrust member according to claim 1, wherein said second means comprises a horizontal plate fixedly attached to the lower end of the upright section, said plate having openings permitting passage of the free ends of U-bolts disposed about the other end portion of the base section, and means threadedly engaging said free ends for securing by means of the U-bolts said upright and base sections.

3. A thrust member according to claim 1, wherein a further coupling flange is provided on and intermediate the length of said base section and being adapted for engagement with a flange on beam means other than said first named beam means, said further coupling flange having a portion which extends parallel but spaced from a wall ofsaid base section. 

1. A thrust member for use on a road vehicle bench frame for performing body work on a vehicle, comprising an L-shaped beam of two separate parts, one constituting an upright section and the other an elongate base section adapted when connected therewith to extend transversely therefrom, said base section being adapted for removable connection to a supporting frame for the vehicle and having end portions lying within vertically offset horizontal planes, first means at an end of at least one of the end portions of the base section for selectively connecting said one end portion to said frame with said vertically offset portions in a first position wherein said one of said end portions is at a higher vertical level than the other end portion, or in a second position wherein said other end portion is at a higher vertical level than said one of said end portions, either position being determined by rotating said base section in increments of 180* about its longitudinal axis, and second means for connecting said upright section in vertical upstanding position in relation to said base section with the latter connected to said frame in said first or second positions thereof, said first means comprising a pair of flanges formed as extensions of said base section in said first and second positions thereof to permit engagement of said base section with beam means of a vehicle supporting frame in the first and second positions of said beam section.
 2. A thrust member according to claim 1, wherein said second means comprises a horizontal plate fixedly attached to the lower end of the upright section, said plate having openings permitting passage of the free ends of U-bolts disposed about the other end portion of the base section, and means threadedly engaging saId free ends for securing by means of the U-bolts said upright and base sections.
 3. A thrust member according to claim 1, wherein a further coupling flange is provided on and intermediate the length of said base section and being adapted for engagement with a flange on beam means other than said first named beam means, said further coupling flange having a portion which extends parallel but spaced from a wall of said base section. 